LRP August Meme: Favourite Scene

 

“One speech in it I
chiefly loved: 'twas Aeneas' tale to Dido; and
thereabout of it especially, where he speaks of
Priam's slaughter.” - Hamlet, Shakespeare

Right, this month we're stuck again with the Old Billy. Good news is, this month's theme is comedy. So no thinking too much about philosophical words the playwright smartly put between the lines to amaze the less witty people in the audience, nor crying too hard for the misery of his fictional characters.

This month's meme will be easy: Which one is your favourite scene in the play? If you read As You Like It, it might be anything with Jacques or Touchstone in it. Or maybe you're a romantic person, so you love Orlando kissing Rosalind in man's garment? If your choice is Love's Labour's Lost, well, what is more hilarious than the friends hiding their love only to know later that they have been overheard? It's just fantastic.

Usually I put some leading questions for inspiration. But this time, I think the question, “What is your favourite scene?” will be enough. You can answer long or short, it's up to you. You can even put more than one scene. After all, one cannot have “too much of a good thing.”

LRP July Meme: Let's Talk about Playwrights

“The play's the thing.” - Hamlet, Shakespeare

This month's theme is 'other author', which means we will read neither Shakespeare nor Wilde, and maybe not Greek either. So, one question: “Who is your playwright this month?”

Not everybody knows playwrights. I have a friend who didn't even know who Shakespeare was, not mentioning other less-known playwrights. To enhance our knowledge in this matter, this month's meme is simple: Tell us about your chosen playwright. Anything can go. You can give a summary of his life, is works, or, if you prefer, just what you like and dislike from him.

As usual, guiding questions. Again, this is NOT necessary. As I sadi before, anything can go.

• Give us his brief biography.
• Give us a tour through his plays.
• What you like or dislike from the playwright.
• Compare him with other playwrights you know.

Voila! Let's have fun with our chosen playwright this month. Oh, and if you happen to read more than 1 playwrights this month, feel free to share more than one also in the meme. Have a nice reading!

LRP June Meme: What Makes It So Wilde?

This month we're going to read this guy - Oscar Wilde. He has excellent reputation as a funny but sarcastic person, and a great writer too. No doubt such qualities don't escape our observation. So for this month's meme, we will dissect Wilde's play and try to find interesting characteristic of his hand. What makes it so Wilde?

As usual, a few questions to help. Please remember that you are not expected to answer these questions, these are just guidelines anyway. You are free to write anything you find relevant.

• How is Wilde different from other playwright you've known?
• What makes Wilde so important or interesting?
• If you have read his novels/short stories, how are they compared to the plays?

Well, I'll be waiting for your posts, and meanwhile, enjoy the Wilde play for yourself~

LRP May Meme: Music

If music be the food of love, play on. - William Shakespeare

Music. It is one of the most beautiful expressions that humanity can develop during its existence. Shakespeare, being a writer, wrote some lyrics as well, to be played during his play. Another quote of him says that 'a man that has no music in himself' is not to be trusted.

But this month we're talking about music in greater scale. We will talk about any music. Anything. Any melody you can think about when you read this month's tragedy. It could be Prokoviev's Romeo and Juliet, Verdi's Otello, or other other classical music. It could even be modern. If Hamlet reminds you of Kelly Clarkson's If No One will Listen or Josh Groban's Let Me Fall (the song is so suicidal, by the way), you can put it in the meme as well.

Don't forget to give a youtube/soundcloud link as well (when possible). It's fun to share some music with the rest of the participants, isn't it?

LRP April Meme: Memorable Quote

“Words, words, words.” - Hamlet, William Shakespeare

That's what we read, right? Bunch of words, words and more words. Word after word, page after page, book after book. What makes a book interesting, though, is how much meaning we get from reading those book, how those words reflect and influence our minds.

Now, we are reading Shakespeare's comedies this month. Funnily enough, although tragedies sound more appropriate for quote hunting ground, Shakespeare's comedies contain a lot of them too. In fact, some of the most silly lines are the most beautiful when you take them out of their funny context.

As usual, some guiding questions:

• What's the context of the quote?
• What do you think it means for the character?
• What does it mean to you?

Thus, we will hunt for these things this month. Get as many as you can, put it in the linky, and share the experience with the other.

It's All Greek to Me

For this month's meme for Let's Read Plays, I'd like to share some things that I learned from mythology class on Coursera last year. That is, the special things about Greek plays, and the way they are, or rather, were, performed.

In Greek plays, the time they are performed on stage represents the real time in the story as well. So in Greek plays, only critical short time of the story is chosen to be acted on stage. The background story is told in short time either by the chorus or the players, but not acted.

In Greek theatre, the performers use masks to emphasize the facial expression and the gravity and density of the play itself. All the actors are male, including the players for ladies. Aha. The theatres, as we can still see today, at least the remaining of them, are located in the open air, but in semi-circular shape that gives great acoustic and good sound quality – which is important, since there was no microphone back then.

On the stage, there is a backdrop, or a wall, creating a backstage where players can change costumes. In the middle of it, there's a door. This door is like a window to the dramatic things that are not to be performed on stage, for example killing. Those parts are done behind the door.

And there's the chorus. Chorus is a bunch of people somewhere between the players and the audience whose role is to connect the audience with the players. So sometimes the chorus addresses the players, and sometimes the audience. I think it's very interesting to have something like that. It's perhaps like a commentator in football match.

That's all I would like to share with you. I got all this material when I took the Mythology class in Coursera.com. So if you're interested in Greek and Roman myth, just enroll to that class. See you next month.

LRP March Meme: What's so Greek about It?

“But for mine own part, it was Greek to me” - Shakespeare, Julius Caesar.

Another relief from Shakespeare. With so many Shakespeares we read in this event, maybe we will start speaking Shakespeare at the end of October. Well, at least the insults come in handy. The quote above is just one example.

Now, plays have been one form of entertainment since long before Shakespeare. So this month we will go backwards, far before the Bard, long before Richard III and Julius Caesar. We will read the Greek plays and have fun with them.

One problem with Greek plays: they are not Shakespeare. That's the point. What's the point of reading Greek if it still smells Shakespeare? Yet their being Greek makes quite a lot of differences. That's what this month's meme is all about. We will discuss the differences of Greek plays with the ones we have been reading these last few months.

As usual, here are some helping questions:

• What do you think is so exclusive to Greek plays which we don't find in other kinds of plays?
• What do you like (or hate) from them?
• How did they do it long ago? What's the most interesting in its culture?

There. Please leave a link to your post below. I'd be happy to read what you think about Greek plays. Have fun.

LRP February Meme: Fiction vs. Reality

“'Tis better to be vile than vile esteemed,
When not to be, receives reproach of being,
And the just pleasure lost, which is so deemed,
Not by our feeling, but by others' seeing.”
- Sonnet 121, William Shakespeare

Alright, time for February meme of the #LRP event. Sorry, I'm a bit late. The fact is I've been quite busy for a time, with my duties and “do”-ties. So, where are we?

This month's theme for the reading is Shakespeare's History, right? Not my favourites, because, I just don't really understand the Richards and Henries. Does Julius Caesar count? I'm afraid not. But there's an amazing thing involved in Shakespearian history plays: Fiction.

Admit it. Shakespeare was no historian. He would not be interested in recording the history and having it played over and over and over again on stage. So, there must be some differences between the real history and Shakespeare's historical fiction.

So here's the big question of the month: “What is the most crucial difference between the fiction and the reality in Shakespeare that you read this month?”

It could be anything. People's personality, series of events, locations, political ideas, anything that you think just different. Perhaps you think Shakespeare judged Richard III too harshly, or gave baby Elizabeth too much praise. Feel free to write of those.

Fine reading and happy month for you all. Don't forget to add your link before the end of the month.  

LRP January Meme: Stage/Film Adaptation

All the world's a stage. - As You Like It, William Shakespeare

Freebie month, eh? For you guys who have had a tough time with Shakespeare, here's a grand relief. For those who have been in love with Shakespeare, you are free, I guess, to read more and more of him. Everyone's happy.

This month's theme is also quite as free. Plays are meant to be performed. There are hundreds of films out there which are based on plays. There are equally more stage performance of the plays, well-known or not. All we need to do is:

• Feature an adaptation you love the most
• Compare several adaptations that you have watched
• Make a review of the adaptation, commenting on the interpretation of the play
• Or anything else related to the play's stage/film adaptation

As usual, you may do one or several, and you are free to make more than one post in a month. Moreover, you may make this for each play that you read on January.

So, have fun and enjoy your reading (and watching)!

LRP December Meme: Costume

“Not out of your apparel, and yet out of your suit. “ - Rosalind, As You Like It

Did you like last month's reading? Was it depressing to read so many people die? Let's relieve ourselves then. This month, we will laugh!

This month's reading theme is Shakespeare's Comedy. When we talk about plays, we will talk no doubt about stage productions, and of course, about the costumes. Costumes are important in Shakespeare's plays stage adaptations. Some try to make Shakespeare stays Shakespeare, and put vintage clothes on their casts. The others want to make Shakespeare looks modern, and change the costumes into modern ones.

This month, you may pick a play or a character, and feature the costumes you like/dislike. Here are some ideas:

• Pick a character, and talk about his/her costumes in your favourite stage/film adaptation.
• Pick a character, and compare costumes
• Pick a play, and compare productions costumes
• Pick a play, and say what you like/dislike about the costumes
• Pick a character or a play, and say what costume you think would fit most.

Things above are just ideas. You can of course improvise. Just have fun with costumes. You can even feature yourself in somebody else's costume (Rosalind or Portia, maybe?).

The linky will open the whole month. I'm looking forward to your entries. 

Character Thursday: Portia in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Have I ever taken anyone from Shakespeare to be my Character Thursday? I can't remember. But the lady whose name is written clearly up there certainly deserves a place in this, or any other, blog. Portia – Cato's daughter and Brutus' beloved wife.

Portia's part is quite minor in the play. She appears after the conspirators' meeting in Brutus' house. She is anxious about the well-fare of her husband, and insists upon knowing the secret that Brutus keeps, promising that she won't leak it out.

What's interesting about Portia is the words she uses to convey her feelings to Brutus. As his wife, she demands Brutus to think of her as half himself, that she should partake in everything Brutus must face.

“Within the Bond of Marriage, tell me Brutus,
Is it excepted, I should know no Secrets
That appertaine to you? Am I your Selfe,
But as it were in sort, or limitation?
To keepe with you at Meales, comfort your Bed,
And talke to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the Suburbs
Of your good pleasure? If it be no more,
Portia is Brutus Harlot, not his Wife

In Portia's mind, marriage is more than just living together, having meals together, and have fun together. It includes being “one flesh”, not “in limitation” but in all things. Being married to someone means that you are ready to share everything – good or bad – with your spouse. And to listen to such a thing from a woman, moreover, in Shakespeare's era, is something quite modern.

Another point worth noted from Portia is her opinion about herself. She admits that although there are many “weak women”, Portia is certainly not one of them.

“I graunt I am a Woman; but withall,
A Woman that Lord Brutus tooke to Wife:
I graunt I am a Woman; but withall,
A Woman well reputed: Cato's Daughter.
Thinke you, I am no stronger then my Sex
Being so Father'd, and so Husbanded?

She says that being a daughter of Cato and the wife of Brutus, she must be a strong woman worthy of her father and husband. By saying she's “stronger than her sex,” she underlines that she can handle things other women cannot. She proves it first by deliberately wounds herself and later, by swallowing fire – committing suicide.

Brutus admits that her death is a great lost in his part, and yes, such a woman deserves not only love but also respect from her husband. She may be a minor character in this play, but not weaker in characterisation.  

LRP November Meme: Character

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them.” - Twelft Night, William Shakespeare.

Hi, people! This month is the first month of our year of reading plays. Some of us (probably most) have been very excited about it. I too, am very excited about reading plays, especially Shakespeare's. He's one of my favourite poet and playwright, and none can deny that he has grand influence over English language and literature.

This month's theme is Shakespeare's Tragedy. Have you enjoyed reading Othello or Hamlet or Julius Caesar or Romeo and Juliet? If so, you must have noticed how interesting Shakespeare's characters are. That's exactly our meme theme this month.

I'd like to list some questions that might help us all to describe the character of our choices. You may or may not use these questions in your post. They are just guidelines. Feel free to add or remove anything you see fit or not fit.

• Who is this character?
• Why is he/she significant?
• How is his/her personality?
• What is so interesting about this character?

By the way, Fanda also has her weekly meme called Character Thursday. You may participate as well, combining the post for this meme and Fanda's Character Thursday. I'll be waiting for your characters. Enjoy the play.

(Please use this format when you submit: Play - Character (Blog name), e.g. Julius Caesar - Portia (Half-Filled Attic). Thanks.)

Monthly Meme for Year-Long Play Event

I'd like to participate more in Fanda's Play Event by providing monthly meme for those participating. Here is the list:

1. Character
2. Costume
3. Stage/Movie adaptation
4. Fiction vs. Reality
5. "It's all Greek to me," why?
6. Quote
7. Music
8. Oscar Wilde
9. Playwright
10. Favourite Scene
11. What makes a play easy or difficult to read?
12. Lesson for life

The complete information about the meme will be posted at the first week of the month. You don't have to participate each month, but it would be nice to share what you think of the plays you read for the event. I will provide a link (by Linky or the others) for all to know what others are reading for the month.

Happy reading!